Ryan Naraine

Microsoft June 15 confirmed that a new, undocumented flaw in its widely used Excel spreadsheet program was being used in an attack against an unnamed target. The companys warning comes less than a month after a code-execution hole in Microsoft Word was exploited in what is described as a “super, super targeted attack” against business […]

Less than 24 hours after the release of patches for 21 product vulnerabilities, proof-of-concept exploits are popping up on the Internet. According to the SANS ISC (Internet Storm Center), a group of volunteers who track malicious Web activity, there are at least five publicly available exploits for flaws patched in Junes Patch Tuesday—including one for […]

Microsofts Windows Vista has a date with some of the worlds smartest hackers. The software maker will use the spotlight of the Black Hat security conference in August to show off some of the key security features and functionality being fitted into Vista. Microsofts appearance on the Black Hat stage is a first on many […]

Microsoft security researchers have used data collected from the companys Malicious Software Removal Tool, or MSRT, to produce the clearest picture yet of the malware scourge on Windows—and its not pretty. On the eve of the TechEd conference in Boston June 11-16, the Redmond, Wash., software maker offered a rare glimpse at the extent of […]

BOSTON—Microsoft security researchers have used data collected from its MSRT (malicious software removal tool) to produce the clearest picture yet of the malware scourge on Windows — and its not a pretty sight. On the eve of the Tech 2006 conference here, the software maker offered a rare glimpse of the extent of infected Windows […]

BOSTON—Microsofts ambitious push into the enterprise security software market has a new name. At the TechEd conference here, the software makers SASD (Security, Access and Solutions Division) unveiled the Microsoft Forefront brand, a suite of business security products across client, server and edge. The first product to assume the Forefront name is the Client Security […]

Security and data storage software powerhouse Symantec has agreed to pay $36 million to settle an outstanding Internal Revenue Service tax claim, but a bigger bill related to its acquisition of Veritas is still hanging over the companys head. Symantec June 9 announced that the $36 million settlement takes care of a tax bill that […]

One month before the expiration of support for Windows 98, Microsoft says its simply “not feasible” to create patches for a critical flaw affecting the 8-year-old operating system. The vulnerability, patched for other Windows operating systems in the MS06-015 bulletin, exists in the way Windows Explorer handles COM (Component Object Model) objects but, although it […]

Malicious hackers are actively exploiting a flaw patched by Microsoft in its April batch of bulletins to hijack computers for use in botnets, according to a warning from malware hunters. Researchers at Exploit Prevention Labs, an Atlanta-based Internet security outfit, said several bot-seeding scripts are targeting the MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Components) flaw covered in […]

Microsoft plans to release a dozen security bulletins June 13 to provide fixes for a wide range of critical software vulnerabilities. The June batch of updates will include patches for a critical zero-day flaw in Microsoft Word and an Internet Explorer update that deals with the way the browser handles ActiveX controls. A Microsoft spokesperson […]

In the midst of consumer backlash and a stricter legal environment, two well-known adware vendors are merging operations under a new brand. 180Solutions, of Bellevue, Wash., and New York-based Hotbar on June 7 announced a definitive merger that takes effect immediately. The combined entity will carry the controversial Zango name. Zango is an ad-delivery application […]

Two new security-themed projects have been added to Microsofts Live Labs research stable. The two beta projects—Microsoft Live Labs Security Token Service and Microsoft Live Labs Relay Service—indicate a big push by the Redmond, Wash., software vendor to churn out experiments in computer security field. Live Labs, launched in January 2006 as a new Microsoft […]